Member States agree to an additional €10 million in EU funds for Malta

The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) within the Council of the European Union yesterday agreed to allocate Malta an additional €10 million within the new Internal Security Fund for Borders and Visas, for the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU.

The Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds and EU Presidency 2017 Dr. Ian Borg welcomed this positive development and expressed his appreciation for the unstinted efforts made by the Permanent Representation of Malta in Brussels. He added that the Maltese Government is committed in making the best use of these funds through an effective strategy.

The additional €10 million constitutes a 23% increase over the original allocation proposed by the Commission, and this in spite of the fact that the overall budget heading (Heading 3 – Security and Citizenship) suffered substantial cuts (16.6%) as part of the overall agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework reached by Heads of State and Government in February.

The Governement said that this “ad hoc allocation of €10 million was achieved as a result of the Government’s strong insistence that increased funding was required given Malta’s specific situation. With this additional allocation, Malta will now benefit from over €53 million under this particular Fund.”

The agreement also includes a reserve of €128 million, which will be distributed amongst Member States following a mid-term review in 2017. Malta will receive a further allocation from this reserve on the basis of distribution criteria that have also been improved rendering them more favourable for Malta.

The text which was agreed to at COREPER will now be submitted to the European Parliament for adoption, after which it will be formally adopted by the Council.